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Winter Eirika

Analysis by Redarrix
Winter Eirika - Gentle as Snow

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
165
HP 42
ATK 36
SPD 23
DEF 30
RES 34

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 17 9 5 7 9
Middle 18 10 6 8 10
High 19 11 7 9 11

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 39 33 20 26 31
Middle 42 36 23 30 34
High 45 39 26 33 37

IV Sets

Key stats worth increasing through nature if possible.
Complementary stats that matter, but not to the point of picking them over key stats for nature increase.
Relatively worthless stat that can safely be decreased through nature.
HPATKSPDDEFRES

Assets

  • +ATK: Attack is easily one of Winter Eirika’s best assets. Thanks to her solid 36 Attack that gets boosted up to 39 with an Attack asset, Eirika is capable of dealing a lot of damage in a single attack and is one of the few staff units that can make effective use of Absorb’s low base might. No matter the build, Attack will always be a solid asset choice.

  • +DEF: Defense is another solid choice of asset for Winter Eirika. Bringing her Defense up from 30 to 33 helps her to better defend herself against physical threats. A great choice on Winter Eirika for any defensive-oriented build.

Neutral

  • HP: Winter Eirika possesses a pretty good 42 HP. While this is on the lower end for armored units, it’s among the highest for staff units. An HP asset or HP flaw will not necessarily be a bad thing, but Winter Eirika will find more use out of increasing and reducing other stats, so neutral HP is recommended.

  • RES: 34 Resistance is solid. This makes Winter Eirika great at defending herself against other magical foes. She can also make great use of Ploy skills if one desires. Though she’ll likely find more use out of increasing her Attack or Defense, a Resistance asset Winter Eirika will work very well.

Flaws

  • -SPD: With all of Winter Eirika’s other stats being great, her Speed is her main weak link. At 23 Speed, Winter Eirika is very slow and is extremely susceptible to being double attacked without Wary Fighter. A Speed flaw makes for her optimal choice in all scenarios as it is the stat she will miss the least.

Skill Sets

Snowfall upon Renais (Sustained Tank)

Build by
Recommended
Wrathful Absorb+
Alternate: Wrathful Witchy Wand+
A Close Counter
Alternate: Def/Res Bond 3
Physic+
Alternate: Restore+
B Wary Fighter 3
Alternate: Dazzling Staff 3
Miracle
Alternate: Heavenly Light
C Atk Ploy 3
Alternate: Atk Opening 3
IVsSAtk/Def Bond 3
Alternate: Close Def 3

Show Explanation/Analysis
  • Preferred IV: +ATK or +DEF / -RES

  • Weapon: Wrathful Absorb+ / Wrathful Witchy Wand+  

  • Assist: Physic+ / Restore+  

  • Special: Miracle / Windfire Balm+ / Heavenly Light

  • Passive A: Close Counter / Def/Res Bond / Fort. Def/Res 

  • Passive B: Wary Fighter / Special Fighter / Vengeful Fighter / Dazzling Staff

  • Passive C: Atk Ploy / Armor Buff / Atk Opening

  • Sacred Seal: Atk/Def Bond / Close Def

Thanks to her impressive statline, Winter Eirika is extremely capable of running a full defensive setup, focused on keeping her healthy as she whittles down the enemy.

For IVs, Winter Eirika will want either an Attack or Defense boon. Both work fantastically here with Attack helping her to deal more damage and Defense helping her against physical foes. For the weapon, Winter Eirika is one of the few staff units who can make very effective use of Absorb, which heals her for half of the damage dealt and restores 7 HP to nearby allies if she attacks. Witchy Wand is also a great choice, trading the self-healing for neutering the opponent’s effectiveness at using Specials. In either case, Winter Eirika’s weapon should be refined for Wrathful Staff. For Assist, Physic makes for a great choice which helps Winter Eirika to maintain some support capabilities despite her limited mobility thanks to Physic’s range. Her default Restore is also a fine option. Miracle is a perfect choice of Special for this Winter Eirika build. While it does have a lengthy cooldown, the ability to survive one fatal attack adds to her sustainability and gives her extra chances to heal herself. For Arena scoring, Windfire Balm is a great choice which gives a powerful offensive boost to all her allies. Winter Eirika’s default Heavenly Light is also a great option.

Close Counter is Winter Eirika’s best choice of A slot. Close Counter allows her to retaliate against melee foes when she is attacked. This skill is invaluable here as it will no longer make her a sitting duck against such foes and allow her to fight back. Def/Res Bond is another strong choice which gives her a strong defensive boost when adjacent to an ally. Fort. Def/Res is also a great choice, giving a large defensive boost in exchange for a little bit of Attack. In the B slot, Winter Eirika’s naturally high defensive capabilities means she does not need Dazzling Staff to keep herself safe. Instead, Wary Fighter will increase her defensive capabilities even further by preventing the opponent from performing a follow-up attack against her. This skill does also prevent her from performing follow-up attacks, but this is hardly a downside given her low Speed. Special Fighter could also be considered, helping Winter Eirika’s defensive capabilities by increase the charge she gains for her Special while also preventing the enemy from charging their own Special. Vengeful Fighter is another choice, giving her a guaranteed follow-up on Enemy Phase and increasing Special charge gain on her attacks. With all things considered, Dazzling Staff still remains a strong choice of B slot if nothing else is available. Preventing enemy counterattacks is still an incredibly strong ability after all.

For the C slot, Winter Eirika can make effective use of Ploy skills thanks to her high Resistance. Atk Ploy is the natural choice to help her out, increasing her own defensive capabilities through debuffing the opponent’s Attack. If she’s on an armor team, an Armor Buff such as Armor March or Ward Armor is advised. Her default Atk Opening is also a good option, granting her some extra support capabilities. For her Sacred Seal, Atk/Def Bond is a solid option that only increases her defensive capabilities even further. Close Def is also a strong option, granting a large defensive boost when attacked up close.

Gift of Good Health (Full Support)

Build by
Dazzling Joyous Lantern+
Alternate: Dazzling Flash+
A Fort. Def/Res 3
Alternate: Defense +3
Recover+
Alternate: Restore+
B Wings of Mercy 3
Alternate: Chill Spd 3
Windfire Balm+
Alternate: Heavenly Light
C Atk Opening 3
Alternate: Atk Ploy 3
IVsSArmored Boots
Alternate: Atk Ploy 3

Show Explanation/Analysis
  • Preferred IV: +DEF or +RES / -SPD

  • Weapon: Dazzling Joyous Lantern+ / Dazzling Flash+

  • Assist: Recover+ / Physic+ / Restore+

  • Special: Windfire Balm+ / Heavenly Light  

  • Passive A: Fort. Def/Res / Def/Res Bond / Defense +3

  • Passive B: Wings of Mercy / Chill Spd

  • Passive C: Atk Opening / Atk Ploy / Armor Buff

  • Sacred Seal: Armored Boots / Atk Ploy / Def Ploy

Winter Eirika can also be fully built to fulfill a supportive role.

For this build, Winter Eirika will want either Defense or Resistance as a asset to help her defend herself if she needs to see combat. Speed remains her least useful stat and is the recommended flaw. Her default weapon, the Joyous Lantern, works great in a support role, boosting the defensive capabilities of whoever has the highest Attack on her team (excluding herself). Flash is also a great option, preventing whoever’s affected by it from counterattacking. In either case, Winter Eirika’s weapon should be refined for Dazzling Staff as damage dealing is not the main concern of this build. For an Assist, Recover provides a huge amount of healing and makes for a strong option. Physic is also a solid option, with the range helping to offset some of Winter Eirika’s limited movement. Her default Restore also works great. For her Special, Windfire Balm is not only one of the highest scoring staff unit Specials, but also grants a huge offensive boost to all of her allies on the turn it activates. Winter Eirika’s default Heavenly Light is also a great support option.

In the A slot, Fort. Def/Res grants Winter Eirika with a large defensive buff at the cost of a little bit of Attack. As she’ll likely be near other units, Def/Res Bond is also a strong option. For a budget alternative, going for simply Defense +3 works fine. Wings of Mercy makes for a fantastic B slot, allowing Winter Eirika to circumvent her armor mobility and instantly teleport adjacent to any ally who has below 50% HP, allowing her to heal them. A Chill skill such as Chill Spd also works great, allowing her to provide debuff support from anywhere on the map. Her default C slot, Atk Opening, works great for this build and synergizes perfectly with Joyous Lantern. She can also make use of a Ploy skill such as Atk Ploy or an Armor Buff such as Armor March or Ward Armor.

Last but not least, Armored boots makes for a fantastic Sacred Seal choice, allowing her to move two spaces whenever she’s at full HP. This helps her to get into position for healing or support, not to mention that she passes through forests as if they’re normal terrain thanks to being armored. If she can receive Armor March support, opting to take a Ploy skill in the Sacred Seal instead can be an effective choice.

Strong as a Blizzard (Offensive Utility)

Build by
Wrathful Pain+
Alternate: Wrathful Gravity+
A Atk/Def Solo 3
Alternate: Attack +3
Physic+
Alternate: Restore+
B Dazzling Staff 3
Alternate: Bold Fighter 3
Windfire Balm+
Alternate: Heavenly Light
C Savage Blow 3
IVsSArmored Boots
Alternate: Savage Blow 3

Show Explanation/Analysis
  • Preferred IV: +ATK / -SPD

  • Weapon: Wrathful Pain+ / Wrathful Gravity+

  • Assist: Physic+ / Restore+

  • Special: Windfire Balm+ / Miracle / Heavenly Light  

  • Passive A: Atk/Def Solo / Attack/Def +2 / Attack +3

  • Passive B: Dazzling Staff / Bold Fighter

  • Passive C: Savage Blow

  • Sacred Seal: Armored Boots / Savage Blow

Despite her low Speed, Winter Eirika can still make for an effective offensive staff unit.

For this set, Winter Eirika will ideally want an Attack asset with Speed flaw. The Attack helps with her offensive potential while Speed still remains her least important stat. For the weapon, both Pain and Gravity work fantastically and both can have a severely cripping effect on the opposition by either dealing a bunch of AoE damage with Pain or severely reducing their mobility with Gravity. In either case, refining for Wrathful Staff is advised given Winter Eirika naturally comes with Dazzling Staff. For her Assist, Physic allows Winter Eirika to heal from a distance, thus helping her to maintain support potential even with her limited movement. Her default Restore also works fine. Healers have no access to offensive Specials, so this slot is entirely used to aid Winter Eirika’s support capabilities. Windfire Balm is a solid choice, allowing her to give a huge offensive boost to her team once activated. Miracle is also a strong choice, trading support capabilities for the ability to survive a lethal attack at 1 HP. Her default Heavenly Light also works well.

In the A slot, Atk/Def Solo provides Eirika with a large boost to her Attack and Defense when not adjacent to any ally. This not only helps her with dealing damage, but also helps to keep her safe on Enemy Phase if she needs to fight. Going for the simple Attack/Def +2 skill also works, providing her with a small boost to Attack and Defense. For the budget option, simply using Attack +3 will be an effective option. In the B slot, Dazzling Staff prevents opponents from counterattacking Winter Eirika whenever she attacks. However, her high defensive capabilities means she does not necessarily need this skill. One could run Bold Fighter instead to give her a guaranteed follow-up attack whenever she initiates combat, as well as extra Special charge on her attacks.

In the C slot, Savage Blow synergizes extremely well with Pain to deal a large amount of AoE damage after combat. She can even run Savage Blow in both the C slot and Sacred Seal slot, though this would mean sacrificing the use of Armored Boots. If one can provide her with constant Armor March support, then using Savage Blow in both slots is recommended. However, if Armor March support cannot be reliably given, using Armored Boots for the extra mobility is advised.

Introduction

As she’s in the festive spirit, Eirika has put on a cute winter outfit and has once again graced us with her presence. This time, she joins us as the first available armored staff unit. Possessing a solid statline that’s only lacking in one area, Winter Eirika has set a new standard for defensive healers.

Winter Eirika comes with an impressively high Attack stat, high enough for her to make use of the Absorb staff which was previously mostly ignored amongst healers. On top of this, she also has solid defensive capabilities with good HP, good Defense, and high Resistance. Her one weak point is her Speed, which is severely lacking, but she can circumvent this weakness through the means of her skills.

Overall, Winter Eirika just in her movement and weapon type alone is a tempting package. What one will find if they obtain her is a powerful healer who can deal good damage, defend herself well, and provide good support all in one. While her armored movement can hinder her overall, this is not enough to subtract from Winter Eirika’s overall exceptional performance. If one wants a defensive healer, Winter Eirika is an excellent choice.

Strengths

High Attack

Winter Eirika comes with an incredible 36 Attack, the highest Attack of any staff unit at the time of her release. This allows her to deal great damage in a single attack unlike any other staff unit could. Her high Attack also allows her to make excellent use of the Absorb staff, a weapon that was previously mostly ignored thanks to its low Might.

Great Defensive Capabilities

On top of her high Attack, Winter Eirika is no slouch in the defensive department at all. With a defensive statline of 42 HP, 30 Defense, and 34 Resistance, Winter Eirika is capable of taking some punishment. These defensive stats can also be easily pushed further through various skills and support from other units, allowing her to effectively resist all but the strongest of attacks. While her Defense is on the very low end for armors, she can make up for it through her healer utility, namely the Absorb staff for passive healing.

Armor Strengths

Being an armored unit comes with many benefits. The first and most notable of which is the increased BST, with Winter Eirika having the highest BST for healers by a country mile. Other healers will require C Duel Infantry in order to score higher than Winter Eirika. On top of this, being an armored unit gives her access to the powerful Fighter line of skills. Her high bulk means she does not necessarily need to run the Wrathful and Dazzling Staff combo and can instead opt for one of these powerful skills. Wary Fighter is a very notable option, helping to increase her defensive capabilities immensely.

Weaknesses

Low Speed

Winter Eirika’s only weak point in her stats is her Speed, which is one of the lowest amongst all healers and even on the lower end amongst other armored units. She is extremely susceptible to being double attacked by any enemy with a middling Speed stat or higher. Her high bulk does offset this issue a little bit, but many strong offensive enemies will still cut through if she does not have Wary Fighter.

Poor Skill Availability

Being a staff unit, Winter Eirika has the notable drawback of much more limited skill availability. She is incapable of using many strong passive skills and any offensive Special. This does limit Winter Eirika’s options, but she still has enough available to her to make her a very powerful unit.

Armor Weaknesses

Being armored comes with a fair share of weaknesses too. Namely, her movement range of one limited her support capabilities substantially. She will need to rely on skills such as Armor March, Armored Boots, or Wings of Mercy to be consistently reliable for support. On top of this, weapons that are effective against armored units are quite common, especially in the higher Arena tiers where armored units themselves are also common. Even with her bulk, any unit possessing a armor effective weapon will pose a substantial threat.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Assault
Restricted to units that use a Staff.
50 2 10
Joyous Lantern

At start of turn, grants Def/Res+3 to ally with the highest Atk for 1 turn. (Excludes unit.)

Restricted to units that use a Staff.
200 2 8
Joyous Lantern+

At start of turn, grants Def/Res+5 to ally with the highest Atk for 1 turn. (Excludes unit.)

Learns by default at 5 ★
Restricted to units that use a Staff.
300 2 12
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Support Skills

Support Skills Rng. SP
Heal

Restores 5 HP to target ally.

1 50
Restore+

Restores HP = 50% of Atk. (Minimum of 8 HP.) Neutralizes ally's penalties (from skills like Panic, Threaten, etc.) and negative status effects (preventing counterattacks, restricting movement, etc.) that last through ally's next action.

Learns by default at 5 ★
1 300

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
Imbue

When healing an ally with a staff, restores an additional 10 HP to target ally.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Restricted to units that use a Staff.
50 1
Heavenly Light

When healing an ally with a staff, all other allies recover 10 HP.

Unlocks at 5 ★
Restricted to units that use a Staff.
150 2

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Dazzling Staff 1

If unit has 100% HP at the start of combat, the enemy cannot counterattack.

Restricted to units that use a Staff.
60
B
Dazzling Staff 2

If unit has ≥ 50% HP at the start of combat, the enemy cannot counterattack.

Restricted to units that use a Staff.
120
B
Dazzling Staff 3

The enemy cannot counterattack.

Restricted to units that use a Staff.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
B
Atk Opening 1

At start of turn, grants Atk+2 to ally with the highest Atk for 1 turn. (Excludes unit.)

Inheritable by all units.
60
C
Atk Opening 2

At start of turn, grants Atk+4 to ally with the highest Atk for 1 turn. (Excludes unit.)

Inheritable by all units.
120
C
Atk Opening 3

At start of turn, grants Atk+6 to ally with the highest Atk for 1 turn. (Excludes unit.)

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

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